Static Challenges

Static Challenges

A static challenge is used to resolve simple scenarios that do not involve another character. Some examples of scenarios that might be adjudicated this way include: picking a lock, hotwiring a car, climbing a wall to reach a skylight, resisting frenzy, or remembering a key detail from an Archon’s warning.

Step One: Defining the Challenge and Assigning a Difficulty Rating

The Storyteller defines the nature of a static challenge and assigns it a difficulty rating based on the table below.

Type of Difficulty	Difficulty Rating	Example
Easy	5	Climbing a ladder
Standard	8	Climbing a ladder during a chase
Difficult	15	Climbing a ladder during a chase in the rain
Challenging	20	Climbing a ladder during a chase in the rain while your enemy is shooting at you
Epic	30	Climbing a ladder with a broken leg during a chase in the rain while your enemy is shooting at you

Sometimes the Storyteller might leave notes on prop objects or in locations indicating the type of static challenge that must be won for something to occur. For example, the Storyteller might leave a note near a computer indicating that a character must prevail in a static challenge using the Computer skill against a difficulty rating of 15 in order for the character to access the information it contains. These challenges may be made with the Storyteller or with a nearby player.

Step Two: Identifying the Test Pool

All static challenge test pools are determined by this simple formula:

Attribute + Skill + Wild Card = Test Pool

Attributes are your character’s quantifiable natural talents and are divided into three categories: Physical, Social, and Mental.

Skills are your character’s learned abilities, such as Driving, Athletics, or Subterfuge.

Wild Card represents the added bonus you receive from equipment, other characters, merits, disciplines, or other odd environmental factors. It is possible to receive more than one wild card bonus. This value is modified at the discretion of the Storyteller.

Example: Vincent the Nosferatu attempts to pick the lock on the back door of a deserted church. His test pool is Physical 3 (attribute) + Security 5 (skill) + Lock Pick Set 1 (wild card) for a total of 9. If Vincent had Auspex, the Storyteller could grant the player an additional wild card bonus of +1 for using Heightened Senses to listen to the tumblers while trying to pick the lock.

Step Three: Rock, Paper, Scissors

The next step is to perform a test. To make a test, play rock, paper, scissors with your Storyteller.

Winning the Test

If you outright win the first rock, paper, scissors test, compare your test pool to the challenge’s difficulty rating.

If you have a greater test pool than the challenge’s difficulty rating, you score an exceptional success. Exceptional successes often provide additional beneficial effects, such as inflicting more damage.

If you lost or tied the first test in this challenge and then won after retesting, or if your test pool is equal to or lower than the difficulty rating, you score a normal success.

Losing the Test

If you lose the test, you fail the challenge and suffer consequences determined by the Storyteller or the appropriate rules.

Tying the Test

If you tie, compare your test pool to the challenge’s difficulty rating. If your test pool is greater than the difficulty rating, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail the challenge. It is not possible to score an exceptional success if you tie — you must win the test outright for an exceptional success.

Step Four: Retests

Players may spend a point of Willpower to retest a failed static challenge. You may retest any challenge type (Physical, Social, or Mental) with Willpower. Since the target of a static challenge has no Willpower, it can’t retest. The results of the second test are final.

Multiple Retests:

Most challenges are resolved with a single Willpower retest, but some challenges can be retested with merits or with an overbid. Using a merit or an overbid to retest doesn’t prevent a Willpower retest from being used, but there can never be more than one Willpower retest per challenge. For example, if you retest the first test with an overbid and the second with a merit, you (or your opponent, if she loses the test) can still retest with Willpower, as long as no more than one Willpower retest is used per challenge.

Static Challenge Variations

Simple variations add complexity to static challenges at the Storyteller’s discretion.

Automatic Success

If your test pool is equal to or more than double the difficulty rating, the Storyteller may allow you to automatically succeed on a static challenge to speed up gameplay. Challenges are fun, but they can slow down important roleplaying when the outcome of a challenge isn’t in doubt.

Example: Your character’s test pool for hot-wiring a car is 11 (Physical 6 + Security 5), and the difficulty rating is only 5. Since your test pool is more than twice the difficulty rating, you succeed automatically. You don’t need to complete a challenge or make a test because the outcome isn’t in doubt.

Unskilled Tests and Critical Failures

If you try to perform an action without having the appropriate skill and lose the test, you fail spectacularly. For example, if you critically fail picking a lock, you might damage the lock and make it inoperable.

Remember that you only critically fail if you don’t have the appropriate skill and you lose the test. If you have the correct skill or if you tie the test, you do not critically fail (even if you lose the overall challenge).

Example Static Challenge

Vincent the Nosferatu attempts to pick the lock on the back door of a deserted church before the sun rises.

1. The Storyteller determines the difficulty rating of the challenge. She decides that this lock is of standard quality and assigns a difficulty rating of 8.

2. The player uses the standard formula to calculate his test pool: Physical 3 (attribute) + Security 5 (skill) + Lock Pick Set 1 (wild card) for a total of 9.

3. Vincent throws a rock, paper, scissors test with the Storyteller. The Storyteller throws rock and Vincent throws scissors, losing the test.

4. Vincent really needs to break into this church to find shelter. The player decides that he will spend a Willpower to retest. This time, they both throw paper, resulting in a tie. Since Vincent’s test pool (9) is higher than the challenge’s difficulty rating (8), he wins.

Result: Vincent works furiously at picking the lock as the colors of dawn start to brighten the horizon. He fumbles a little, but manages to pick the lock at the last minute.

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Main Rules Page

Chapter 4: Introduction to Core Systems

• Opposed Challenges
• Complex Scenarios (Combat)
• Types of Attacks
• Combat Maneuvers
• Noticing Attacks
• Mass Combat
• Health and Damage
• Willpower
• The Flow of Time: Converting Real time to Dramatic Units